


Burning Love

by bi_sensation



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Amnesia, Angst, College, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Nice John, Nice John Winchester, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-31
Updated: 2015-08-23
Packaged: 2017-12-25 04:31:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/948653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bi_sensation/pseuds/bi_sensation
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I wish there were necklaces given to us at birth that were half of a unique shape and your soulmate wore the other half and they got warmer the closer  together you were so you could go on this journey when you're ready to find your other half so that you could be spared all the pain and heartbreak of being played with by those who don't take dating as seriously as you do"</p><p>Castiel Novak has never felt his necklace grow warm. Until he moves out of his hometown and starts college, where he meets Dean Winchester, who is supposed to be his soul mate. Will Castiel and Dean be able to overcome the obstacles in their relationship? Or will everything crash and burn?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I planned on writing a chapter 12 and 13 but I just couldn't decide where to go with this so I think that ill end it at chapter 11. im really sorry for those who were waiting but to be honest writing is something that I love but not a top priority of mine. I might write more in the future but who knows! Thank you to everyone that followed this story, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it ^.^
> 
> Based on a tumblr post that I found on Unfriendable.  
> http://www.unfriendable.com/Tumblr/Amazingly-Brilliant/109329

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel Novak meets his soul mate for the first time after going to college, and he must admit that he (Dean Winchester) is definitely not who he expected his soul mate to be.

Castiel Novak sat in the passenger seat of the car, his older brother Gabriel in the seat next to him. He fondled his necklace, which was notably warmer than when he had left the house.

 _Maybe I'll meet my soul mate today._ He thought, then scoffed at the idea of it. It has been twenty-two years and his necklace had never gotten warmer than room temperature, and he didn't expect it to now. He never truly understood why his looked the way it did; it was basically just a black oval with little indents in it, nothing special. He thought about his parent's, which were two cresent shapes which, put together, made a halo. He had no idea what his other half's would look like.

Gabriel was talking, telling Castiel all the good things about college, which meant that he had nothing to say about the classes, and everything to say about the awesome parties, which were loaded with hot girls and even hotter guys. Castiel wasn't paying much attention, and eventually dozed off.

* * *

He woke up about an hour and half later, from Gabriel shaking his shoulders.

"Come on little bro, we're here!" Gabriel practically yelled, unable to hide his apparent excitement.

Castiel groaned, then noticed the heat emitting from his necklace was warmer again than before. Actually it was warmer than he's ever felt it before, probably about 70 degrees, where it was usually about 50. _Whatever,_  he thought,  _It's a big town, I doubt I'll meet her anytime soon._

He hopped out of the car and grabbed his bag from the trunk, then started walking with Gabe, needing to jog to keep up. For a guy so small he sure could move fast. Gabriel was blabbering on about something again but Castiel wasn't listening. He couldn't think straight because all he could notice was how warm his necklace had become, and how with every step he took it just kept getting warmer and warmer. It must have been nearing 85 degrees by now and it was starting to get uncomfortably warm considering how hot of a day it was. There were tons of people around him, and he had no way of knowing who it could be that was causing his necklace to be doing what it was. Then, all of a sudden, the temperature slowly began dropping. Castiel stopped walking and looked around, trying to see if there was anyone else who was giving any sign of having the same experience as him, or at least who was moving in the opposite direction very quickly. Gabriel seemed to notice the absense of his little brother because he walked up to him and playfully punched his arm. 

"What's going on kiddo? Looking for your soul mate or something?" He winked and gestured for him to keep walking.

"No clue," was all Castiel said.

* * *

_Shit shit shit shit shit._

Dean Winchester was practically sprinting through campus. He had just gotten to his dorm room and was about to shower when he realized that he didn't have his car keys, which meant that they were still in the ignition of his baby, which meant that someone could easily steal her. His necklace hang loosely from one of his belt loops and was bouncing around as he ran. He hated wearing the thing. For started he thought his was the stupidest looking thing in the world; it was basically a deformed black triangle with weird little indents on it that made it look like half of a Christmas tree. And then there was the fact that it was really hard to get laid when all the hottest girls were stupid, hopeless romantics who refused to be with anyone who wasn't their "soul mate" as his bitch of a brother put it. Dean thought it was all just stupid crap and he hated the ice cold feel of his necklace on his skin every time he had sex.

There was a large crowd of people who were leaving the parking lot, and since he wasn't wearing his necklace, he never noticed the quick burst of heat it produced before cooling again.

* * *

 It was the first day of classes and Castiel was not looking forward to it at all. His roommate Ash seemed to be an okay guy, but he had one class the whole semester and it was at 2:00 pm. Castiel, on the otherhand, had Biology bright and early at 8:00. He was sitting in the class room with about 6 others, when he noticed his necklace getting warmer. After reaching its high of 85 degrees, it was back to about 70 and remained like that all throughout the night. Now though, it was almost back to 85 degrees again. Castiel started breathing faster, _What if she's in this class? Will she like me? What do I do if I meet her?_ He was nearly hyperventilating when he saw two people walk into the room, a tall boy with light brown hair, and a blonde girl. He knew that must have been her, who else could it be? His necklace was probably at 90 degrees by now and steadily getting warmer as the two got closer. The girl took a seat in front of Castiel next to another girl, and the boy took a seat next to him. He managed to sneak a peak at the girls necklace before she sat down, and he realized that it was a dark brown colour and almost looked like a stick; not even close to a match for his. Cas slumped back into his chair, and looked around the room, wondering who else it could possibly be. His thoughts were interuppted by the man next to him clearing his throat. He looked over and did a quick inspection. He had green eyes, really, really nice green eyes.... (Castiel pushed this thought to the back of his mind) and he was actually pretty good looking. Castiel knew he wasn't exactly straight, but there was just something about this guy that made him _really_ think he wasn't straight... He noted that he wasn't wearing a necklace at all, which was strange because most people never took theirs off.

He spoke, "Hey, um, I'm Dean, Dean Winchester," he smiled and held out his hand, gesturing for Castiel to shake it.

"Hi, I'm Castiel," he replied before shaking Dean's hand. Something happened when he touched him though, something he would never forget in his life. The second their skin made contact Castiel felt an intense burst of heat emit from his necklace. It probably would have burned him if he didn't have on his blue tie. "Ouch," he said as he snatched his hand back and grabbed his necklace, which had cooled slightly the second he let go. He looked up at Dean, who had wide eyes and a look of utter surprise on his face. 

"Oh my god..." they said together. 

Castiel looked at him again and asked, "Where's yours?"

Dean reached down towards his jeans and unlooped the necklace from his belt loop. Castiel removed his from around his neck at the same time and held his out towards Dean, waiting. Dean took his and winced slightly at the touch of it, since it was so warm. They brought them together and somehow managed to fit them together perfectly on the first try.

Castiel looked down at what was now a black wing. He looked back up and smiled shyly at Dean, who was smiling back, thinking that maybe he could get used to looking at those green eyes and that pretty smile.

* * *

 _Holy shit,_  Dean thought to himself. _Holy fucking shit._  He had just met his soul mate. And it was definitely the last person he would have suspected he was destined to fall in love with. For starters, this was a  _guy_ , and kind of a nerdy one at that. Dean had always thought he was as straight as they come, but when he looks at Castiel he is definitely starting to think otherwise. This guy was absolutely gorgeous. He could drown in those blue eyes of his, which really pop with his blue tie. And that sex hair of his... all Dean wanted to do was run his hands through that hair and then down his body. And those lips... soft and pink.... Dean had never wanted to kiss someone so badly...

Wow he better go buy a dress because he suddenly turned into a fucking girl.

But he smiled again, because Cas was smiling, and he knew that smile would never get old.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas and Dean go on their first date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anybody ready for some Sammy? He isn't a major character yet but he will be later on in the story  
> Im sorry if this chapter isn't that great. I have major writers block today and nothing was coming out right.

Dean had asked out Castiel right away after class, saying that he thought that maybe they should get to know each other being as they're soul mates and all. So they agreed to go out to dinner at a place of Dean's choice on Friday. Castiel spent the entire week in anticipation, enjoying every minute of his biology class because he got to spend it with Dean, even if he barely knew him yet. By the time Friday rolled around, Cas was practically jumping in his seat during his last class of the day. When it was finally over he rushed to his dorm room and hopped in the shower, then began getting ready for what he felt was one of the biggest nights of his life. Ash wasn't in there, as usual, " _Probably with another girl again,"_ he thought to himself. He had just finished moving his hair around to make it as post-sex as possible when he noticed his necklace heating up. His heart starting beating a mile a minute as he rushed to finish getting ready, slipping on a pair of jeans and a white shirt with his favourite blue tie. When he heard the knock at his door his heart jumped in his chest. After one last quick inspection in the mirror, he walked across the room and opened the door to reveal Dean leaning against the doorframe, a smile on his face. Castiel's stomach did a back flip at the sight of him. He wasn't dressed fancy at all, but he still looked crazy hot in his leather jacket and worn out jeans. Castiel could see a Led Zeppelin t-shirt underneath that made his taut stomach very eminent, and his breath hitched slightly.

"Hey," Dean said, with a hint of a nervous tone to his voice, but still with a smile on his face.

"Hello, Dean," Cas said back, unable to hide the major excitement in his. They stood there for a minute, both acting like teenagers before prom. _Man up,_  Castiel thought to himself. He cleared his throat and said, "So, um, where did you say we were going?"

Dean cleared his throat as well, "I didn't, it's a surprise." He grinned, flashing gorgeous white teeth. Cas would never get tired of that smile.

"Well alright then." He smiled shyly and followed Dean out the door.

It took no more than ten minutes to get to their destination, and Cas assumed it had to do with the fact that Dean was going 60 in a 50 zone. When they pulled into the driveway Cas looked at the shabby little diner and looked back at Dean with confusion. He tilted his head slightly to the right and squinted his eyes a bit. "I don't understand," he said, "I thought we were going out someplace nice for dinner?"

This made Dean laugh and say, "Come on man just give it a chance? I remember you mentioned how much you like burgers and this place has the best burgers in the country! I promise." He smiled a million dollar smile. "Plus my brother works here so he told me he could get me a deal."

Cas rolled his eyes and got out of the car, smiling to himself.

When they walked in to the diner they were greeted by a tall boy with shaggy hair and bangs in his eyes.

"Hey Dean!" He said enthusiatically, then added, "and you must be Castiel, right?"

Dean smiled and said, "Cas, this is my baby brother Sammy."

Sam rolled his eyes, "Just Sam," he shook his hand, "it's nice to finally meet you. Dean hasn't shut up about you all week."

This caused both Dean and Cas to blush, before Dean punched his brother in the arm, "Come on, bitch, we're hungry are you gonna wait on us or what?"

Once they were at their table, orders placed, they began talking, telling eachother about their pasts. Cas came from a family of five, his mother and father, older brother Gabriel, younger sister Anna, and himself. He lived in Illinois then decided to come to the same college as Gabe so that he would have someone to show him around.

Dean told him about how his mother had died in a house fire when he was four, though he didn't go into details because Cas could tell it hurt him to relive those memories, and how his dad just recently started a mechanics shop in Kansas. He said how he practically lived in the road until he was 20, which was when he decided to start college.

 _That_ _would explain why my necklace would get warmer than usual occasionally. Dean would be in the same town or close by,_  Castiel thought to himself.

After that they mostly had small talk, and when Sam brought them their food (two burgers and a piece of cherry pie) all forms of conversation pretty much ended.

It was after they had finished their burgers and Dean just finished his pie that he decided to ask a question that had been eating at him from the day they met, "Cas, have you always known you were gay?"

Cas' heart jumped a bit, and he looked away shyly. Finally he answered, "Well sort of, I've alway's liked guys and girls but I sort of assumed by soul mate would be a girl."

Dean looked down at his lap, his cheeks painted pink and a small look of hurt on his face. "Right. Sorry for bringing it up."

Cas instantly felt guilty, and reached across the table to hold Dean's hands. At once he felt that same amount of heat in his necklace as the first time they had touched, and it sent a jolt of electricity through his body. Dean had jumped slightly at his touch but Cas held a tight grip.

"Hey, Dean, look at me."

Dean looked up at Cas' smiling face.

He continued, "But I never said I wasn't okay with it."

This made Dean grin, and they continued sitting like this for the next hour, talking and holding hands and just simply enjoying each others company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has not been proof read so please comment any mistakes and I'll fix it :) Next chapter will be posted tomorrow or the next day. Sorry this one is so late and short... I was getting really frustrated trying to write it. Hopefully the next chapter will be better and longer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been two weeks since Dean and Cas have met, and their relationship is really beginning to progress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really fluffy (sorry no smut... yet!) and I have a feeling you'll really like it... until the end. whoops spoilers shhhh  
> Sorry it took so long to post, school just started so I've been busy with that! Hopefully the next chapter will be up in the next few days!

It had been two weeks since Castiel had met his soul mate, and he didn't think it was possible that Dean Winchester was the person he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with.

He was hot-headed, a potty-mouth, reckless, aggressive, cynical, impulsive, cocky, promiscuous, a womanizer and completely self-loathing in every aspect of the word.

And Castiel was falling head-over-heels for the guy.

They were exclusive, and although they didn't tell many people directly that they were soul mates, every one knew it just by the way they looked at each other. It may have been soon but Cas knew that he was going to spend the rest of his life with Dean Winchester. Not because he had to, according to their necklaces, but because he wanted to. Every time he looked at him he felt a rush of butterflies deep in his stomach, and when they touched... well let's just say Cas could feel a scar coming on from his necklace from being so close to Dean all the time.

It was Friday night, a week after they're first date. There was a party going on but Cas and Dean decided to stay in and watch a movie instead, since it was a colder evening. Ash was at the party and Cas knew he wouldn't be back until morning, so he wasn't going to worry about him.

They were watching Lilo and Stitch because, although he never actually admitted it out loud, Cas knew it was Dean's favourite. Together on the couch, they snuggled up into each other, both enjoying the familiar heat on their chests that came with being close. They sat like this the whole movie, Cas nearly falling asleep by the end. It was only when Dean started talking that he was at full alert.

"Cas, I need to ask you something," Dean said, which Cas found kind of weird, because Dean never asked permission before saying something. He was more of a shoot first, ask questions later sort of guy.

But still, Cas answered, "Yeah anything."

They sat in silence for a minute, Dean fumbling with a loose thread on the edge of a blanket, before he finally asked, "Can I kiss you?"

This made Cas throw his head back in laughter. It was not what he was expecting that was for sure. By the time he contained himself he looked over at Dean lovingly, grabbed his face and kissed him himself.

It was like nothing he's ever experienced in his life. The rush of the kiss itself mixed with the heat of his necklace over the fabric of his thin t-shirt was almost overwhelming. At first it was soft, almost hestitant, but once Dean had overcome the initicial shock, he had began kissing Castiel back, throwing his arms around his neck. The amount of passion put into it was enough to send a burning heat into Cas' lower stomach, and down into his crotch. He felt Dean's tongue on his lips, probing experimentally, before he opened his mouth to let him in. Dean's hot breath was in Castiel's mouth. He tasted like popcorn and liqourice, and this made Cas smile into the kiss. His nibbled lightly on Dean's lower lip, which resulted in a slight growl deep in the back of the other man's throat. He moved around so that he was straddling Dean, only breaking the kiss for a chance to breathe. He felt hands moving down his back, towards his butt, and then they began moving inwards towards his inner thighs. He mumbled, "Dean," but it was barely audible. He tried again, this time more aggressively, " _Dean._ "

Dean pulled away, and looked at Castiel, "What? Is something wrong?" he had concern in his voice.

Castiel shook his head, "No, um it's just, I wanna take things a bit... slower. I don't know if I'm ready for that yet."

Dean nodded, and then he had a look of realizion on his face, "Wait, shit Cas, are you a _virgin?"_

At first Castiel was taken aback, but then he looked down at his lap, embarrassed, "I was waiting for my soul mate," he replied simply.

They sat quietly for a bit, both unsure of what to say. Finally, Dean leaned over and tipped Cas' chin up, and kissed him lightly on the lips. He closed his eyes and did it one more time, making Cas' heart skip a beat, then said, "Well you found him. And I'm ready when you are, I don't want to rush you," He kissed him one last time before pulling him into a tight embrace.

It took all Castiel had not to ask him to marry him right then and there.

* * *

Dean woke up bright and early Saturday morning, with big plans on his mind.

He didn't want to pressure Cas into anything he wasn't ready for, but he thought that maybe he could compose a plan to at least speed up the process a bit, so he decided that he was going to woo him (god he was becoming such a girl). First he called Sammy, because his little brother was an expert at all this even though he hasn't met his soul mate yet. After Sam finished laughing, he told Dean exactly what he had to do. With a thanks and a few curse words, Dean hung up and got busy. He called Cas when it was a decent hour and told him he was busy for the day, but he was going to take him out for dinner (no exceptions) and that he had to look nice. He could tell Cas was a bit skeptical, but he agreed none-the-less and told Dean to pick him up at six.

Dean spent the entire day planing. First he went to buy Cas a dozen red roses, because that's what Sammy said would be the best, and Dean chose not to doubt him. Then it was time to go buy something other than a t-shirt and plaid (which Dean painfully realized was literally all his closet consisted of). He didn't go full out with a bow tie and jacket and everything, but decided instead on a red button up shirt and casual black tie (very similar to Cas' blue one), along with some black pants.

"So what's the occasion?" The check out lady asked, "Is this some soul mate business I get to have the pleasure of being apart of?" She smiled kindly at him.

Dean smiled back. She was pretty hot, the was the kind of girl Dean would usually have tried to hook up with, but now he didn't even think about, because now he had Cas. "Yeah, I'm taking him out for dinner," he replied excitedly, "It's the first time we're going out someplace nice." Dean was glad that she didn't seem phased by the word "him" since he usually got a look from others. Her smile remained genuine when she said, "I hope everything goes perfectly," then she finished folding the clothes and handed him his bag.

It was only 4:30 by the time Dean got home and had finished making some phone calls, so he had no idea what he was going to do for the next hour and a half. He decided he'd try reading a bit because, according to both Cas and Sam, it was a great past time. He had read maybe only a page and a half in 45 minutes, because his mind kept wondering to Cas, and how it felt to kiss him. He wanted to do it again, and again.... and again. Finally giving up on reading, Dean hopped in the shower and finished getting ready. By quarter to six he was walking through campus, holding a bouquet of roses. He got many strange looks but he didn't even care. All he could think about was Cas and the increasing heat on his skin from his necklace, which was tucked underneath his shirt.

Dean knocked on Cas' dorm room door, smile on his face and roses behind his back. He heard a bit of shuffling and then the scuttle of feet on floor before the door opened to reveal a smiling Castiel. Dean flashed a grin and pulled the flowers out from behind his back, earning a huge grin on Cas' face and a kiss right on the lips. It was quick, but the sparkle remained in Cas' blue eyes.

After Dean got over the look in Cas' eyes, he took a second to take in everything else. He was barefoot, but everything else was ready. He had his trade mark sex hair that made Dean's stomach do a backflip, and he was wearing black pants similar to Dean's, along with his white shirt and blue tie. Dean loved how he looked, and he couldn't stop himself from going in for one more kiss.

Cas smirked and grabbed the flowers saying, "Thank you, Dean, they're beautiful." He turned and put them on his bed, then quickly put on some socks and shoes, grabbed his favourite trench coat, and made for the door, holding Dean's hand all the way towards the Impala.

* * *

Cas was completely mesmirized by what Dean was doing. He couldn't believe he was going through all this effort just for a date. When he asked where they were going, Dean just shook his head and told him it was a surprise. "I hope it isn't like the last surprise," Cas said with sass, "I think we're a little over dressed for a diner."

Dean laughed and shook his head again, "Don't worry, I think you'll like it a bit more. But you can't deny that was the best burger you've ever tasted."

They continued with small talk for the rest of the drive, and when they pulled into the parking lot Cas couldn't hold back a tiny gasp. The place was huge, and probably really expensive. He looked over at Dean, who had an entertained look on his face. Cas leaned over and kissed Dean again, soft and tenderly. He nipped his bottom lip and then said, "Thank you, this is more than I could have asked for."

Dean laughed, "Hey the nights only starting."

Once they got to their table ("Dean Winchester, table for me and my boyfriend", Dean had said, earning a blush and smile from Cas) Cas asked what else they were doing.

"Oh I can't tell you, that would ruin the fun!" He said, winking at Cas.

It may have been a fancy restaurant, but neither of them had any clue about proper etiquette, so they both settled on $20 dollar burgers ("Holy shit!" Dean had said) and beers.

They talked more, mostly about school and their classes. After sitting in a comfortable silence for about a minute, Cas asked, "Dean, what happened to your mom?"

Dean flinched slightly, and Cas could tell he didn't want to talk about it, but he still answered. His voice shook only slightly as he said, "Like I told you, she died in a house fire when I was four." Cas didn't say anything, hoping it was apparent he wanted him to continue, and thankfully it was. "It was about six months after Sammy was born. It was late and I couldn't sleep because I kept hearing these weird noises. I told her I was scared so she decided to make me some cookies and hot chocolate. While they were in the oven she read me a story, but we both fell asleep. We woke up about 2 hours later to the smoke alarm. I guess she must have forgotten to turn off the burners when she made the hot chocolate because when she opened the oven the entire kitchen practically exploded. My dad ran downstairs with Sammy, putting him in my arms and telling me to run outside. I guess he tried to help my mom but it was too late. After the funeral we basically lived on the road until I graduated, my dad working odd jobs to help support us. He never really moved on after that."

Cas looked at Dean sadly. His eyes were glossy but he didn't cry. Cas reached across the table to grab his soul mates hands, knowing that he would like the heat that came with it. Dean blinked a few times to help clear his eyes, and then he smiled. "Let's get the cheque. There's somewhere else I want to take you."

* * *

Half an hour later they pulled into a park with a little pond. There were a few people around but not many. Dean hopped out of the impala and ran around to the other side, opening the door for Castiel. Cas' cheeks didn't go red, no matter what Dean said. They held hands as Dean led him to the pond, where he now noticed a little row boat. He gave Dean a look but he just smiled, putting a finger to his lips and Cas knew what he meant. " _It's a surprise._ " They got into the row boat and Dean took the paddles, making Cas feel even more like a girl. He didn't really care though, because the way Dean was acting was completely adorable.  _  
_

They had rowed into the middle of the lake when Dean looked at his watch. "Ahh right on time," he said with a smile.

"Right on time for wh-" Castiel had begun, but was interrupted by a loud crackle. He looked up at the sky to see the bright colours of fireworks. _Fireworks._ Dean had actually brought him to see _fireworks._  He looked over at Dean to see him with a look of pure adoration on his face. He couldn't help himself any longer. He leaned in and kissed Dean passionately. But with the sudden weight change and the speed that he moved, Cas lost his balance and he and Dean both went tumbling out of the boat. They emerged out of the water, looked at each other, and burst out laughing. Cas swam towards Deand pulled him into another kiss, smiling into this one because  _holy crap_ he had just been out to a fancy restaurant, to see fireworks, and fell into a pond with his  _soul mate._ Cas had never thought that anything like this would ever happen. It was like something out of a movie. He knew right then and there that even though they had only known each other for two weeks, he was absolutely, irreversibly in love with Dean Winchester.

They stayed in the water for a little bit longer, kissing and laughing and splashing, before they realized it was quiet again. Cas snickered, his mouth still on Dean's, "I think we missed the fireworks."

Dean laughed too, pulling away from Cas to look up at the sky. "Oh well, it was worth every penny anyway. Let's get onto shore now, it's getting cold." Cas agreed even though he was quite warm, thanks to his necklace.

They managed to get back into the little boat, then paddled their way into shore. Dean grabbed some towels he had in the back seat from when he and Sammy would road trip to the beach and handed one to Cas, kissing him when they were close. They dried off a little bit then hopped into the impala, turning up the heat to full blast.

They were driving down the highway, hand in hand and listening to music. Dean was singing _Bad Moon RIsing_ slightly off key but, to Cas' amazement, actually not that badly. They were probably ten minutes away from campus when Cas just couldn't hold his tongue anymore. He had to say it, because he needed Dean to know how he felt.

"I love you, Dean."

And that's when the truck hit them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean wakes up in the hospital without much memory of what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay first of all I'm so sorry that I haven't updated this, I've been really busy with school and this was a tough chapter to write. I can't make any promises for when the next chapter will be out but i hope it will be before next weekend!!

Dean awoke with a pounding headache, his entire body aching, and the familiar sound of something beeping nearby. His mind was racing, trying to remember where he was and what had happened. He remembered going on a date with Cas, the dinner, the boat, the fireworks. The memories came flooding back in a huge wave. Then he remembered one more thing before everything went blank: Cas had said he loved him.

 _Cas._ Where was he? Where was Dean? What had happened to them? Dean began panicking, and he heard the beeping sound grow faster, and he eventually recognized where he heard it before. It was a heart monitor, which meant Dean must have been in a _hospital._ He snapped his eyes open and saw a nurse standing over him. He wanted to speak but he couldn’t get any words out. There was only one word on his mind though; _Cas._

 _Cas. Cas. Cas. Cas._ It ran through his head over and over again.

“Yes, sir, Castiel is in the room next to you, don’t worry. Please just some deep breaths.”

Did he say that out loud? It didn’t matter, _Cas was alive._ He tried speaking again, “What... what happened?”

The nurse told him everything. They were driving and got hit by a semi that had lost control. It hit the passenger side just behind the front seat. Dean had been in an induced coma for three days to help his brain heal properly, and had broken his right arm and fractured two of his ribs. She said that it was amazing that his injuries weren’t more severe, that there must have been an angel watching over him.

“Your brother has been here every day waiting for you to wake up,” she continued, “he left about ten minutes ago. Do you want us to call him and let him know you’re awake?”

Dean was still pretty groggy, but he managed to mumble out a, “Yes,” before falling back asleep.

He woke up the sound of his brother’s voice, “So still no improvement with Cas?”

_What’s wrong with Cas?_

Dean heard the nurse speak, “No, nothing yet. He got it much worse than your brother, so his brain needs more time to heal. There’s nothing we can do but wait.”

Dean wondered what was going on. He kept his eyes closed, willing the nurse to say more. When he heard the nurse leave, he decided to open his eyes, and found himself looking directly at his little brother, who never cried, yet currently had red eyes.

“Sammy...” Dean began, but was interrupted by Sam’s half laugh-half sob.

“You are the biggest jerk in the world.” Sam said, and wiped a tear from his cheek, “You scared the hell out of me.” He laughed again and shook his head in a way that suggested he was trying to clear it, “Never do that again.”

Dean relaxed a little bit and smiled at his little brother, but then remembered he still had no idea what exactly was wrong with Cas. “Sammy, where’s Cas? Is he okay?”

Sam seemed to tense up a little bit, which made Dean really nervous. “Dean, um, Cas got beat up pretty bad. The truck hit your car on his side. It missed him,” he added when he noticed the horrified look on Dean’s face, “but he still isn’t doing that great; he keeps going in to cardiac arrest. The doctor says his brain activity is really low and....” he paused, fiddling with his thumbs.”

Dean was getting scared and impatient, “Sam.” It took all he had not to yell or cry.

 

“Dean, we don’t know if he’s going to wake up.”

* * *

 

It was the twelfth of November, seven and a half weeks after the accident. Dean was out of the hospital and made a full recovery.

Cas still hadn’t woken up.

Dean checked on him every day. He would sit and hold his hand, telling him everything that had happened that day up to that point, and everything that happened the day before after he left the hospital. Afterwards he would read to him. He remembered Cas mentioning how his favourite series was _Supernatural_ by Carver Edlund, so he would read two or three chapters of that to him a day while he played some music.

Dean noticed that when he held Cas’ hand his necklace wasn’t as warm as it used to be. When he kissed him goodbye it would only be around 75 degrees, not nearing 100 like he was used to.

One day he decided to ask the doctor about it. Doctor Bradbury replied to him, “As you know, Castiel is in a comatose state, and has very little brain activity. I think the reason your necklace isn’t at its usual temperature is because, although Castiel’s body is here, his mind is not. We’ve discovered that when your soul mate dies, your necklace becomes an unbearably cold temperature. Since your soul mate is in between life and death, so if your necklace.”

Dean didn’t ask questions after that. He wasn’t one for crying, but after that conversation he found himself laying in Cas’ hospital bed holding him and crying into his shoulder, willing his necklace to heat up, even by a little bit. After about ten minutes of silent tears running down his face and repeating, “wake up Cas,” “I need you,” and “don’t do this to me,” the same nurse who’s been working with them, who Dean discovered is named Naomi, had to escort him out of the room to calm him down. She called Sam to pick him up and bring him back to his dorm room.

Now that Dean was healed up he knew he needed to do something to take his mind off Cas, and he knew the only thing that would work was to fix up his car. The truck had completely totalled it, but after a week of endlessly working on it in between classes, it was almost as good as new. He was at his Uncle Bobby’s garage getting the final touches on it when he suddenly felt like something was wrong. His entire body was hot but his chest felt cold, and Dean realized it was the necklace. It must have dropped ten degrees. It had been doing this on and off a lot lately but today it was much worse than usual. Dean wanted to feel sad, but for some reason he couldn’t. Instead, he felt angry. He was angry at Cas for not waking up. Angry at that stupid semi for not being able to drive properly. Angry at the boat for tipping over and making them just a few minutes later than they should have been. But most of all he was angry at himself. Dean stood up, now realizing he had fallen to his knees, and grabbed a crowbar nearby. With every swing he listed a different reason to hate himself. First he hit the hood because his mother died. He hit the driver side window because he decided to go to this college and not a different one. He hit the trunk because he chose to go into biology when he doesn’t even need it. He stood on the trunk and hit the back window because he sat next to Cas. He hit the top of the car because he took his soul mate out on a first date to a diner. He jumped onto the top of the car and with all his weight, repeatedly hit the wind-shield until it shattered entirely, all because he had fallen in love with a nerd in a trench coat.

Dean’s body must have been about 100 degrees, but he fell to the ground, crying, and cold as ice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if anything medical-wise is inaccurate, I just kind of guessed with half the stuff. If i suck at that please just kind of over-look it and think about what the actual story is about :p i did my best so yeah.  
> i haven't proof-read this chapter yet.
> 
> OMG I completely forgot about Gabriel!!! I'll write him into the next chapter and now i feel stupid because i forgot about him in this one ugh my bad


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is too short for a summary without spoilers so it'll be surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda forgot about Gabriel but hes back and will have more attention in the next chapter!! yay! this chapter is really really short but I think you'll like it.

Dean stopped wearing his necklace after that day.

He still visited Cas every day though. It felt different being with Cas when Dean wasn't wearing his necklace, almost easier. Instead of focusing on nothing but the chill on his chest, he was able to focus on Cas. He noticed the pale pink of his lips, his dark, long eyelashes, the slow rise and fall of his chest. He noticed new things too that have changed since the crash, like the small scar above his eyebrow, or the way his eyes never fluttered... or that he may never see that pretty smile again.....

Dean didn't like to think about those things.

Now that he was out of the hospital, Dean still had his classes to go to everyday. It had been a week since he stopped wearing his necklace, but when he was about to leave his room he grabbed it from his nightstand, shivering when it touched his skin. Dean didn't know why but he had this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he never should have taken it off in the first place. When got to his class he took his seat next to Jo, who had moved from her seat in front of him after he got back from the hospital.

"Hey Dean, how is Cas doing?"

Dean responded with his usual monotone, "Same," before opening his books.

Jo lowered her voice and asked, "And how are you doing?"

Dean was a little taken aback by this. Usually Jo asked how Castiel was and left it at that, knowing that prying just annoyed Dean, so he didn't really know how to answer. He was about to say he was surviving when he felt a sudden burn on his chest and realized it was his necklace. His hand snapped up and grabbed it and he whispered, "Oh my God...."

Jo opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Dean's ringtone. He read the caller ID.

_Gabriel_

_  
_Dean answered the phone with a quick, "Hello?" and heard the familiar sound of Castiel's older brother reply back to him with three simple words that Dean had been wanting to hear for a long, long time.

"Castiel is awake."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I'm sorry how short this is... now that it's typed i realize that it's painfully short but I didn't have much to say!  
> So, now that I'm more than halfway done I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been keeping tabs on this and all that jazz i really appreciate it! :) <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright my little unicorns let me tell you a thing.  
> these past weeks have been really tough for me, I'm starting to deal with an ED and minor depression. This has resulted in me having no motivation to do anything (including writing even though it makes me happy) and also some major writers block. I'm also really busy with school and sports and other shit so im trying really hard. I'd like to take this time to thank each and every one of you who have been waiting for me to post this because i honestly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. I'm so sorry it's taken me so long and I promise I'll try harder from now on to post faster. Thank you I love you all <3<3<3

The hospital that Cas was at was about twenty minutes from Dean's university, but Dean had managed to make it there in just about ten. The whole drive there his heart had been pounding, his skin slowly burning as his necklace got warmer with every mile he got closer to his soul mate. After skidding into the parking lot and slamming his door shut, Dean raced inside the hospital and greeted Pamela, one of the receptionists he had gotten to know, with a nod and rushed to Cas' room. He couldn't think straight, all his mind seemed to be able to focus on was the burning on his chest, a feeling Dean was completely convinced he would never feel again. Before he knew it he was right outside Cas' door, but he stopped there, unable to move a muscle. Suddenly he realized what exactly was going on.  _Cas was awake._ He was no longer in a coma. He was breathing on his own with no machines. He was thinking, he had his eyes open. _He was back._ Dean was so overwhelmed that he barely noticed himself grab the door handle and walk inside the room. At first he was confused, because when he looked at Cas he was really blurry, but then Dean realized he was crying. He wiped his eyes hoping that no one had noticed, and looked at Cas again.

He was Cas. His hair was messy from about two months of no showering, but it somehow still looked good. He was sitting up in bed looking out the window, not noticing the new company he had. Dean was about to walk up to him when his path was blocked by Gabriel.

"Wait Dean, we need to talk quickly."

Dean was impatient, but reluctantly agreed to talk for a minute. All he wanted to do was hear Cas' voice, to feel the subtle squeeze of his hand every time he held it, to feel the burning on his chest with every kiss.

"Okay Gabe, what is it?"

Gabriel had almost a pained look in his face, "Dean, um, Castiel, well he has some amnesia. There aren't a lot of things that he remembers-"

Dean cut him off, "Well then I'll just refresh his memory and we'll be good to go!" He said with a smile. He knew this would happen, Cas _did_ have some pretty bad brain damage after all, its not like he was going to wake up knowing everything that happened. Dean tried to get back inside the room but Gabriel stepped in front of him again.

"No Dean, you don't understand. The last thing he remembers is from almost four years ago."

Then it hit him. Cas had only known Dean for about two weeks before the crash and it's only been about two months since then.  _Cas doesn't know who Dean is._

* * *

Castiel looked away from the window, longing to be outside and smell the fresh air. According to the doctors, he's been in a coma for nearly two months after getting in a car accident. It was mid-November 2008, which Cas could hardly believe being that he could have sworn it was still 2004. He had been talking to Gabriel to help him get caught up on his life, and he told him that he graduated with honours and now they were going to the same university, Castiel with a scholarship. There wasn't too much else that he needed to know for now.

Gabriel walked back into the room, Cas not noticing that he had walked out, and was with someone. The second Cas made eye contact with the stranger he got butterflies in his stomach, which made him wonder who he was. Castiel assumed it must have been a friend he made in the two weeks that he had been going to school for, but that didn't explain the increase in his heart rate.

The man smiled at Cas and took a seat next to him, "Hey, I'm Dean Winchester, we sit together in Biology." He held out his hand, smiling, and Cas shook it. When he did he felt a little tingling on his chest, and he looked down to notice he wasn't wearing his necklace, which he usually never took off. He also noticed a slight scar where it normally sat on his chest. He looked back up and Dean was looking at him with a strange expression. Cas was trying to place it when his thoughts were interrupted by Gabriel.

"So, the Doctors said they want to keep you under observation for about another week but after that you'll be good to go! All of your breaks are healed so there isn't a lot for you to have to worry about."

Cas looked away from Dean and smiled at his brother. He felt like it's been years since he's seen him. He wanted to talk to him but his focus seemed to keep going back to Dean. Deciding that he currently had no shame, Cas dediced it woulnd't matter if he took a quick look at Dean... for a minute or so....

Dean was tall, taller than Cas and way taller than Gabriel. He had green eyes and really cute freckles.

 _Cute?_ Did he really just think of a guy, who was obviously just a classmate, maybe friend, as  _cute?_ Cas quickly looked away from Dean and back out the window, hoping to clear his head a bit. He had always known he wasn't completely straight, the last thing he remembered was having eyes for a guy, but a crush on a girl. Neither of which were his soul mate so he just over-looked it.

Suddenly Cas remembered about his necklace, and how it wasn't around his neck. He looked back from the window to Gabriel (not without noticing that Dean had quickly turned his head, obviously having just been staring at Cas) and asked, "Where's my necklace? I feel naked without it."

Gabriel did a side look at Dean, and went to leave before Dean said, "I got it," and walked out of the room.

* * *

_Shit. Shit shit shit shit._

_  
_Dean really had no idea what to do. If he gave Cas his necklace then it'd be revealed that they're soul mates, and he wasn't sure if Cas would be ready for that. Sure, you don't usually get a heads up when finding your soul mate, but these weren't normal circumstances. Dean has known for months that they're meant to be together, but Cas has literally just met him. Dean was so caught up in his thoughts he almost walked past the front desk. He quickly asked for Cas' things and walked back to the room, feeling the heat of Cas' necklace radiating out of the bag.

He walked into Cas' room and gave Gabriel a look that he knew he understood meant  _are you sure?_  and received a nod back.

Dean handed Cas his necklace and waited for his reaction. When Castiel touched his half of the wing he instantly dropped the necklace and let out a small yelp, before looking at Dean. Dean noticed Cas' eyes wandered from Deans face down to his necklace, which Dean had made sure was visible.

"No, but... this can't be right."

Dean half smiled at Cas then said, "Hi, my name is Dean Winchester. I'm an Aquarius, I enjoy sunsets, long walks on the beach and frisky women. And I'm your soul mate."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay if anyone was wondering why this is set in 2008, I did it like that because on the show they first met september 2008 so I wanted to incorporate that because i thought itd be cute.  
> Again, sorry for being so freaking slow! I hope you all liked it :) please leave feedback in the comments and if you have any form of requests for things you'd like to happen I'm always open to new ideas :) i love you all<3  
> Also I still need to proof read this so just comment any mistakes and I'll be sure to fix it! :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel isn't sure if he's ready to accept that he has a soul mate yet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alrighty my unicorns, i think i did a bit of a better job getting this posted asap...  
> i feel like everything is starting to come together so i should be updating more often :)  
> but i am still dealing with depression and ed so just bare with me and know that i will finish this and i wont leave you guys.  
> love you all<3

This was not happening.

This  _was not happening._

Castiel would not accept it. He was not in college, he was graduating in a few months. He was not 22 he was 18. And he most certainly did  _not_  have a soul mate. This was all too much for him to take in. He looked out the window and the world around him looked exactly the same as it always has. The sky is blue, the grass is green, and the people look exactly how people normally look.

But something was still different. He looked at his reflection in the window and almost didn’t recognize who was staring back at him. That boy looked older, with more facial hair and weird scars that weren’t supposed to be there. The only thing that seemed to be right was the messy hair and the blue eyes. He looked at his brother and noticed the subtle changes in him as well. No taller, but his hair was slightly longer and his eyes seemed older. Even the party animal he knew him to be had to have grown up at least a little bit, especially after his little brother being in a coma for two months. Lastly, Cas looked at Dean. He was a complete stranger but for some reason Cas felt like he’s known him for years.

He still held his necklace in his hands and looked down at it, the heat radiated off of it and he knew that it was because Dean was near. Not because of a nurse or doctor, or even from another patient. It was all because of Dean. Because Dean Winchester was his soul mate. It was weird for Castiel knowing that there was someone he was destined to spend the rest of his life with, but for some reason it felt right knowing that it was Dean. It still didn’t feel right knowing that Dean has known him for months when Cas has only known Dean for ten minutes, but he decided that the day was already weird enough and nothing else would surprise him.

 

Cas finally looked up from his necklace, snapping out of his reverie and looked at Dean again. Every time he looked at him he felt a flutter of butterflies in his stomach and a slight tingling on the skin on his chest. Finally deciding that the feeling he got from looking at this man, his soul mate, was a good feeling, he smiled at Dean, slipped the necklace over his head, and said, “Hello Dean.”

* * *

It was now the start of December, and Cas was finally out of the hospital. He was prescribed some pain meds but other than that he was going to be okay. On the day that he got out Dean came and picked him up to drive him back to his dormitory.

“So Doctor Bradbury said that everything is looking okay but you just need to be back in a month for a check up,” Dean said as he drove out of the parking lot.

Cas smiled briefly then looked out the window, observing the light snow that was slowly falling around him. “How long is it to get back to the university?”

Dean smiled, “About twenty minutes... but that’s not where we’re going.”

This made Cas look away from the window and back at Dean. He turned his head slightly to the right and squinted his eyes slightly, making Dean’s stomach do a back flip. He never realized just how much he missed all of Cas’ little habits. Dean bit his lip and continued, “I know that this must be really weird for you. You’ve known me for a week but I’ve known you for nearly three months, so I’m going to let you get to know me. Doctor Bradbury told me that it isn’t uncommon for amnesia patients to regain their memory when they do things that they’ve already done, so I’m going to take you out on a date.” He smiled when Cas’ eyes opened a little bit wider, obviously surprised at what was happening. “On our first date I took you out to this old run-down diner, but I promise you that the food is amazing and the service is even better. My little brother Sammy is working there, just like he was the first time we went, so you get to meet him again.” Dean knew this was going to be like major déjà vu for him, but it was going to be worth it if it meant that Cas was going to get his memory back.

They got to the diner and Cas had the exact same reaction he did the first time. Dean just laughed and told him to come on. He reached over to grab Cas’ hand, but when their fingers touched Cas snapped his hand away and touched his necklace, obviously surprised by the burst of heat.

Cas laughed nervously, “Uh, sorry... I guess I’m still not used to this.”

Dean smiled sadly and said, “Don’t worry about it, I should have known,” and then instantly was able to detect the tinge of pain in his voice that he knew Cas was also going to notice. He was surprised though, when Cas took his hand and gave him a reassuring squeeze, then smiling as he led Dean into the diner.

They were greeted at the door by Sam, who instantly introduced himself to Cas, “Hey there Castiel, I’m Sam Winchester, Dean’s younger brother.”

“Hello Sam, it’s nice to meet you... again I guess.” Cas laughed a little shakily.

Dean looked over at him and gave Sam a look and Sam told them to follow him to their table. Dean had told him the day before to make sure that the table they had gotten the first time was available. He wanted to do everything he could to help Cas get his memory back.

When they sat down Dean looked at Cas, trying to figure out what was running through his head. He was looking at the menu, but Dean noticed that his eyes weren’t moving across the pages at all. Finally Cas looked up at Dean and smiled.

“You know I’ve been told that I have a problem with staring at people, but it looks like you’re way worse than I am.” Cas said, laughing.

Dean smirked, “Sorry, I’m just trying to figure out what you’re thinking. I know this is probably a lot for you to take in, I hope I’m not overwhelming you.”

Cas smiled softly at Dean, “Dean I’m a big boy, I can learn to adjust. Sure, when I think about the fact that I have a soul mate already it’s a little freaky, especially knowing that it’s someone like you – no offense,” he added when he noticed the look on Dean’s face. “But from what I last remember I had a huge crush on a girl named Meg, and now I’m destined to be with a very attractive _guy._ This is new to me. But I’m not overwhelmed; I’m just trying to go with the flow.”

Dean looked at Cas for a long time before saying, “You think I’m _very_ attractive?”

This made Cas let out a peel of laughter, a sound that instantly made Dean think of the laughter of an angel; and in that moment, he realized that he would still get to be with the man he loved, and everything was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay finally some happy shit  
> i haven't proofread so just comment mistakes and let me know how you like it!!<3


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel and Dean think about what to get eachother for Christmas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay yeah this was supposed to be posted around Christmas but I had no idea what to write. I finally got it figured out though... So yeah sorry that I took so long again... I have the next two weeks off because it's exam week so hopefully I'll finally be able to finish! my next semester is stacked so I will definitely need to finish it soon. Sooo yeah....  
> oh and guess what it's my birthday!! Classic me writing and posting stuff on my birthday... thats my life for you!

Things were finally starting to get back to normal. Cas was excused from the rest of the semester because of his amnesia, but he was expected to be back and prepared for his courses next semester. Him and Dean had been going on dates almost every weekend, and often spent the night at Cas' dorm room since his roommate, Ash, had been kicked out.

Christmas was a week away and Dean had no idea what to get Castiel. He knew he loved books, but he didn’t think there were any books that Cas didn’t have, so that was out of the question.  He thought maybe he would get him a new tie or something, maybe even a trench coat... although he did really love that ratty old one he already had. He decided to ask Sam about it, since this whole girly, relationship stuff seemed to be his area of expertise.

“A _tie? Really?_ ” was all Sam was able to say at first. “This is your first Christmas together as soul mates and you want to get him something he already has a hundred of?” Sam laughed at his older brother, who was really starting to panic that he would never find Cas an acceptable gift.

“Well what would you get him then?” Dean snapped, “He’s not an easy guy to shop for.  And I’ve already decided against books, or else that’s all he’d do the rest of the holiday.”

Sam took a moment to contemplate this, and starting laughing when he looked back at Dean to see a button in his hand, which he must have nervously fiddled off. “Okay, calm down there before you wreck something else. Get him something that’s meaningful. He’s not the kind of guy who needs something expensive, he’s way more down to earth than that.”

“Hey, stop being so gushy, he’s my boyfriend not yours.” Dean said sarcastically.

Sam smiled, “Whatever, what’s something that you like that you want him to like?”

Without thinking, Dean blurted out, “Classic rock.”

This made Sam chuckle, “Of course that’s what you would say. Make him a mixed tape then.”

Dean thought about this for a second, then said, “Isn’t that some cliché girly crap?”

Rolling his eyes, Sam replied, “Not if it means something to you, and trust me, I’m pretty sure it’s something Cas would like.”

Dean thanked Sam and made his way back to his dorm, thinking about it the whole time, and realized he knew exactly what songs he wanted on it.

* * *

Castiel woke up early Christmas Eve morning. He looked over at Dean's bed to see he was still fast asleep – he had never been an early riser. He took this opportunity to finish wrapping Dean’s present. He decided he was going to get him something he needed: a suit. He knew he had bought a nice shirt and tie before the accident, but they were wrecked during the crash. So he took time when Dean was in class to run to the store and get everything a nice suit required; socks and all. Cas had hid everything in a box in the bottom of the laundry bin (the one place he knew Dean wouldn’t check) and finished wrapping them in the bathroom – just to be sure he wouldn’t wake Dean. When he was done he took the box and put it at the bottom of his suitcase. After talking with Dean they had decided they were going to be spending Christmas in Kansas with Dean’s family.

After putting the present in his bag, he went over to Dean's bed and carefully got on top of him. He was laying on his back instead of his belly for once, so Cas straddled him before lying down and putting his head was on his chest. He listened to the beating of his heart and felt the warmth of his necklace before he felt Dean’s body shake with a light chuckle. Cas felt strong arms wrap around his waist and grip his sides, forcing him to move up closer to Dean’s face. He lifted his head and looked directly into his soul mates eyes, and was about to say something but was interrupted by a forceful kiss. Castiel felt Dean’s hand move from his waist to his neck and took that as an invitation to deepen the kiss. After another few seconds he pulled away, smiling at the sound of Dean letting out a slight whimper.

“Well good morning to you too.” Cas said before giving Dean another peck on the lips and sitting up, still straddling his waist.

“I’m just happy to see you while your hair is still messy,” Dean said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, “you always brush it before I wake up.”

This made Castiel laugh, “Well I don’t want you to get too aroused before class,” he said with a wink before getting up to pull on a t-shirt. It was Led Zeppelin, one of Dean’s favourites.

“Oh but what, it’s okay to arouse me the day I see my dad? That doesn’t seem very fair.” Dean got up and threw on a t-shirt as well. Cas was about to make a sarcastic comment when he felt Dean come up behind him and wrap his arms around him again. Lips touched the back of his neck and a chill ran down his spine, making him shiver. Dean laughed and turned Cas around to face him. Cas barely had time to take in another breath before there were lips on his. He felt Dean’s mouth open and his tongue poke lightly at his lips, making Cas open his mouth invitingly. His necklace was starting to burn his skin, which was a new but good feeling. For the next minute they stood there intertwined, almost as if they weren’t two separate people, but one whole person. Finally Cas pulled away and looked into Dean’s eyes, which had a small layer of green around his lust blown pupils.

“Do we have Lilo & Stitch?” Cas asked suddenly. He didn’t know why he said it but he just had a sudden desire to watch it. “Do we have time to watch it before we leave?”

Dean looked taken aback, but he still replied, “Uhh no probably not, but we can watch it when we get back.”

Cas gave him a quick peck on the lips after agreeing and left to finished getting ready, leaving Dean completely baffled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if it kind of sucks though because i've been writing this at school and while im on trips and on the phone with friends so yeah..... comment what you think!! <3  
> and btw sorry if i totally messed up with what dorm rooms look like I've never been to a college before i literally just turned 16 today.... so yeah lets just say that since this is an AU dorm rooms are different. dont judge me.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas spend Christmas with Dean's family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday Dean Winchester!!!  
> So I was supposed to post this chapter on christmas but i ended up finishing it now (which is 2:30 in the morning) so yeah I think I'll probably finish this in the next few days... i hope....  
> I hope you like it, i personally like this chapter :)

Dean spent most of the drive to Lawrence thinking about what had happened with Cas that morning. The last time they had watched Lilo & Stitch was the night before the crash, and they sort of had a rather intense make out session when it was over. Dean wasn’t sure if it was some sort of memory relapse or if it was nothing at all, and he didn’t really want to get his hopes up if it turned out to be nothing. He decided he would ask Doctor Bradbury at Cas’ next check-up.

There was about 20 more minutes until they got to John’s house. Dean looked over at the passenger seat to see Cas had fallen asleep, and smiled at himself. He loved how Cas looked when he was sleeping, like he didn’t have a care in the world. Dean had done a lot of thinking about how different his soul mate was after the crash. He was still the same dorky guy, but there were little habits that he used to have that were gone and others that seemed new. Dean decided it must have been because there were four years of his life that he has completely forgotten about, and to Cas he was still 18 years old.

“ _That’s probably why he has never told me he loves me_ ,”Dean thought to himself. He knew that was the reason; Cas just wasn’t ready to grow up yet.

Dean was startled out of his thoughts by a grunt and Cas asking, “Are we almost there?” He shivered slightly at the sexy sound of Castiel’s sleepy voice, and then smiled at him when he looked over to see him trying his best to stretch in the tight space he had.

“Yes, sleeping beauty, we’re here now,” Dean said as he pulled into the driveway of his father’s house. Dean got out of the car, thinking about how John would react to finding out his son had a soul mate – he kind of forgot to mention it when he called saying he was coming for Christmas. Would he be disappointed that it was a boy? Probably not, Dean’s sexuality had never been an area of interest for John. But what would he think of Cas? Would he criticise him? He would probably tell Dean that he could do better, even though they both know it’s not true. Maybe he would just ignore him the entire time and pretend that Dean doesn’t even have a soul mate, or maybe he would just pretend that he isn’t his soul mate and just another random person he’s trying to sneak in to his room at night. A thousand things were running through Dean’s head and he was on the verge of getting back in to the car and driving away. He was snapped out of it when he felt his necklace get hot and looked over to see Cas was holding his hand, smiling and urging him to move forward.

So together they walked to the front door, hand in hand. Dean was unable to bring himself to knock so Cas did it for him. After seconds that felt like years, the door opened to reveal the gruff face of John Winchester. 

* * *

 

“Dean.”

“Hey, Dad,” Dean said in return.

John’s face remained neutral until he realized that Dean wasn’t alone. He looked over at Cas with a hint of surprise on his face, then looked down at their intertwined hands. “You didn’t tell me you were bringing a guest.”

“Ahh yeah...” Dean chucked nervously and looked over at Cas, who nodded encouragingly, “Dad, this is Castiel, my boyfriend.”

John said nothing.

“Uhh, we’re soul mates.”

This got a reaction out of John, and not one that Cas had expected, from what Dean had said about him.  John Winchester, the cold man who was never really a father to his kids, smiled and looked actually _happy_ for Dean.

“Well why didn’t you say so?” John held out his hand, which Cas quickly shook, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Castiel, I’m John.”

“Yes sir, you too,” Castiel said in return. He usually didn’t call people “sir” but he felt like he probably should when it came to John.

Then John did something that surprised Cas, he hugged Dean. Cas had to use all his willpower to not laugh at the look on Dean’s face when he pulled away. Then John said, “It’s good to see you son,” with a smile, and added, “now come on inside, it’s freezing out.”

They spent the next while catching up, Dean asking John how his business was going, John asking how school was for the both of them. Sam showed up not long after, then Dean’s uncle Bobby later on. Dean said Bobby owned a garage near their university. By 4:00 they were all sitting around the table, talking and enjoying beers. Cas found out a lot about Dean that he didn’t know, like how he once stole some presents from a random family and gave them to Sam, but they turned out to be girl toys, or the time they carved their initials on the impala, and how they’re still there. Dean never really told Cas about his childhood, and if he ever did he only mentioned how much they travelled, so it was nice to know about all the good things that happened to him. By the end of the night Cas could of sworn he knew everything there was to know about the Winchester family.

It was about one in the morning when everyone decided to turn in. Since Dean never told John that Cas was coming, he didn’t have any extra room prepared, so Dean just said he’d sleep on the couch for the night.

After everyone was in bed, Cas lay awake in the big bed and thought about everything he had learned about Dean that day. Dean was a lot of things, but Cas couldn’t help but notice that the one thing that stood out the most to him was how much he cared for his little brother. And he couldn’t help but realize that after this day he probably couldn’t fall for him anymore than he already has. He touched his necklace and couldn’t help but notice that it was cooler than he was used to, because for once Dean was in another room rather than a few feet away from him. He stayed awake for another half hour before he finally decided that there was no way he was going to fall asleep with what felt like an ice cube on his chest. Cas hopped out of bed and tiptoed down the hallway to the living room, where Dean laid on the couch, still awake.

“Hey, Cas, something wrong?” Dean asked when he saw him. He began sitting up but was stopped when Cas laid on top of him, the same way he had the day before.

“That bed is awfully big, it’s kind of hard to fall asleep.” Cas said a little bit shyly, “I was thinking maybe, I don’t know, you’d wanna share a bed tonight...”

Cas barely finished his sentence before Dean was nudging him off and grabbing his hand, leading him back to the spare bedroom. Cas laughed when they got back into the room and Dean kissed him lightly on the nose before hopping into the bed.

“Ugh, that is the most uncomfortable couch _ever_!” Dean said, exasperated. “I could feel every spring.” Dean rearranged pillows and tucked himself in while Cas stood awkwardly in the doorway. “Well, are you just going to stand there or are you going to join me?” Dean whispered, smiling.

Cas couldn’t help but to feel a little bit nervous over sleeping in the same bed as his soul mate, but he knew nothing was going to happen, especially since they were only a few rooms over from Dean’s dad. So he took the few steps to get to the bed and laid down next to Dean. He stayed flat on his back, and didn’t dare to move a muscle in case he did something that might annoy Dean.

Dean put a hand on Cas’ shoulder, “It’s okay to breathe, you know.”

Cas laughed, then moved a little bit so that he was a bit more comfortable. Dean had a different idea though. He grabbed Cas and pulled him in so that his face was by his chest, making him able to hear Dean’s heartbeat and feel the heat of his necklace.

Dean let out a yawn before kissing Cas’ forehead, “Goodnight Cas, Merry Christmas.”

Cas moved up and kissed Dean’s lips, “Goodnight Dean, Merry Christmas to you too.”

It was the best sleep he ever had.

* * *

Dean woke up the next morning to an empty bed. He looked over at the clock and read 8:34.

“ _Not a single person knows how to sleep in in this house_ ,”Dean thought to himself before rolling out of bed. He walked down the hall to the kitchen to find everyone around the table drinking coffee.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Cas said happily, “ready for some presents?”

Dean treaded to the counter, “Coffee first, presents later.”

After two cups of coffee Dean was finally ready to open gifts. Cas had literally bought everyone shaving cream, which they actually found kind of funny. John and Bobby got things for their shops and Sam got books. When it came time for Dean and Cas to exchange gifts, Dean was a little bit surprised by what Cas got him, but he couldn’t help but to laugh.

“A new suit, I needed one of these,” Dean thanked Castiel and gave him a kiss, making Cas’ face go beat red. “Okay, open yours now.”

Cas unwrapped the tiny present as Dean watched anxiously. He took off the small card and read it to himself, before looking up at Dean. Cas’ face was unreadable, but Dean figured he must have liked it because he pulled Dean in for a tight hug and whispered, “It’s perfect, I love it.”

It took Dean all he had to not answer with, “I love you.”

* * *

(Here is Dean's Playlist for Cas and the reason he chose each song.)

Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin (this was stuck in my head when we first met)

Rock of Ages – Def Leppard (this is one song that was playing while we were driving to the diner for the first time)

Carry on Wayward Son – Kansas (this played in the diner)

Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival (one of the few things I remember about the crash was that I was singing this to you before the truck hit us)

Smoke on the Water – Deep Purple (I played this a lot when I was visiting you while I read to you)

Back in Black – AC/DC (this was on the radio when I was driving to the hospital when I found out you were awake)

Renegade – Styx (I remember this playing when you first met me )

Highway to Hell – AC/DC (this was playing when we went on our second first date)

Ramble On – Led Zeppelin

Travelling Riverside Blues – Led Zeppelin (these are tied for my favourite songs) 

* * *

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Castiel spend New Years together.  
> Castiel has something to tell Sam and Gabriel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wooooooow okay I took way way way too long to post this. Buut in my defence, I have been extremely busy with school. It's been really stressful for me and I just havent been able to find the time to write. But its now spring break, and I promise that I will spend every waking hour to finish this son of a bitch! I just want to say that I really really appreciate all of you waiting patiently (or impatiently, idk your life) and sticking with me :) I'm doing the best I can and i love you all <3

It was New Years Eve. There was a party happening on campus that Cas and Dean talked about going to, but they both decided they’d rather stay in and have a few beers by themselves and watch a movie or two. The first movie they decided on was, obviously, Lilo & Stitch. By the time the movie was over – or at least they realized the movie was over – it was nearly midnight. Dean looked at his watch, “Hey man we have some time before the fireworks, wanna grab some blankets and head to the roof?”

It was cold out, which made Castiel thankful for the blankets. They stood by the ledge, looking out at the campus, each wrapped up in a blanket. Cas looked over at Dean; his green eyes stood out in the moonlight, along with his freckles. He admired his jaw line, and the way his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly every time he swallowed. He looked at his lips, soft and pink, and the stubble on his face, suggesting that it’s been a few days since he’s last shaved.

“You know, you really do have a staring problem, Cas.” Dean stated, smiling, before turning to look at Castiel.

Cas held eye contact with Dean, “I know, you and many other people have told me this before. But you know, I distinctly remember you unable to take your eyes off me when I woke up.”

Dean laughed, “You got me there, but in my defence, I really missed seeing your pretty blue eyes,” he said in a mocking tone, dropping his blanket and wrapping his arm around Castiel’s waist, pulling him in and kissing his neck.

Cas just shook his head as Dean rested his chin on Cas’ shoulder. He could feel the heat from Dean’s necklace on his back, and couldn’t help but smile knowing that he was the reason for that heat.

“Hey, Cas,” Dean began, “can I ask you something?”

“You know you always can, Dean,” he responded, a little weary, since Dean never asked before doing anything.

The cold wind blew, making Cas shiver. Dean wrapped his arms around him tighter then asked, “What’s the last thing you remember? You know, before waking up.”

“Oh,” Castiel said, caught off guard by the question. He cleared his throat, “Umm I’m not sure exactly. I remember I was in class, but for some reason I feel like I was cold and soaking wet, but that can’t be right.”

Suddenly, he felt Dean tense up. He wasn’t able to ask him about it though, because that’s when they could hear a distant, “10! 9! 8!”

Dean shifted so that he still had his arm around Castiel, but now he was standing next to him again. “3, 2, 1,” he said softly.

Fireworks went off in the air, making Cas look up and smile. Dean turned so they were facing each other. “Happy New Year, Castiel,” he said, taking Cas’ hands.

Castiel smiled, gripping Dean’s hands tight, “Happy New Year, Dean,” he replied, as Dean leaned in to kiss him.

Their lips touched as another set of fireworks went off.

And that’s when the memories came flooding back like a tidal wave: Graduating high school, going to college, feeling the heat of his necklace, meeting Dean, the first date at the diner, the second date, Lilo & Stitch, _the_ date. He remembered going to dinner at the fancy restaurant, the boat, the fireworks, falling out of the boat, getting hit by the truck, _telling Dean he loved him_.

Cas pulled away, the memories becoming too overwhelming for him.

“Is something wrong?” Dean questioned, worry in his voice.

Castiel looked at him, _really_ looked at him. He had spent hours on end studying Dean’s face, memorizing every aspect of it. There were a few new things now, scars here and there that weren’t there before. The only thing that definitely hasn’t changed is the worried look in Dean’s eyes. Cas smiled at him, “Everything is perfect.” He kissed him again then pulled him into a tight embrace. He couldn’t tell Dean he remembered everything.

_Not yet._

* * *

Two days had passed since Castiel had gotten his memory back. He was at the diner that he and Dean had their first date, the one Sam worked at. He had called ahead to make sure Sam was working today so that he’s able to talk to him. Across from Castiel sat Gabriel, impatiently drumming his fingers. This was big news, so Cas decided he better invite him as well.

“So little brother, what’s this big news you have?” Gabe asked, still drumming his fingers.

Castiel looked at his brother’s fingers and rolled his eyes, “Just wait, okay? I’ll tell you when Sam gets here.”

No sooner did he say that than did Sam walk up to them, notebook in hand.

“Hey, speak of the devil!” Gabriel said, giving Castiel a snarky look.

Sam laughed, “Sorry about the wait guys, what can I get ya?”

Gabe opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Cas, “I have some news, do you have a minute?”

Sam did a quick scan of the diner. “Uhh, yeah but it’s gonna have to be quick,” he took a seat next to Gabriel.

“Yeah make it a quickie here Cassie, Moose has a job to do,” Gabriel remarked, nudging Sam.

Castiel rolled his eyes but continued none the less, “Okay, so as you know, I have lost my memory. The last thing I remember was being in high school.” Gabe was about to interject, but Cas continued before he had the chance. “Well, uhh, a couple of days ago, on New Year’s Eve, we were on the roof and were we just talking, and then the countdown started. So we counted down and at midnight these fireworks went off, and Dean and I kissed –”

“Spare the details buddy,” Gabe cut in.

“– and I remembered.”

Sam looked at Castiel, confused, “Um, remembered what?”

Cas looked from Sam to Gabriel, biting his lip. Finally, he stammered out, “Everything.”

Sam and Gabriel looked at each other then Sam looked back and asked, “Everything? What do you mean “everything”?”

“I don’t know; everything. Everything after high school, everything before the accident, all of my memories are back!”

Gabe didn’t say anything; he just sat there with a concerned and confused look. Sam on the other hand, was all questions.

“So, everything that was gone is back? You remember graduating, and meeting Dean, and all the time you guys spent together? All of it is back?”

Right before Castiel responded Sam added, “Have you told Dean yet?”

“Well obviously he has, why wouldn’t he?” Gabe finally said.

Castiel looked down and started picking at a hang nail.

“Oh my God,” Gabriel said, “You haven’t told him yet.” It was a statement, not a question.

“That’s why I wanted to tell you guys first, I needed someone to know. But I can’t tell Dean, not yet. I’m waiting for the right time.”

Gabriel and Sam agreed to not tell Dean the news. As Cas left the diner, he had a million thoughts running through his head. But he knew one thing for certain, Cas remembered just how much he loved Dean, and he definitely needed to show it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well that was eventful  
> comment below on what you think!!! And i promise I'll try to update it again asap.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Dean birthday and Castiel has a surprise for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> click this link because it is important and i just wanted you all to know that its hard to update right away! so yeah :) http://assbutt-sherlocked-in-the-tardis.tumblr.com/post/84687213588/tzikeh-p1013-sauntering-down

Castiel woke up bright and early the morning of Dean’s birthday with big plans on his mind.

With it being nearly a month since Cas has gotten his memory back, he decided that it was time to tell Dean. He didn’t plan on telling him in some boring way though, he knew he had to make it special.

Cas grabbed his phone and, after checking to make sure Dean was still asleep, went out into the hallway. First he called the florist to buy a dozen red roses, which he remembered is exactly what Dean had bought for him the night of the big date. Since they lived together it was kind of hard to hide them anywhere, so he told the florist he would pick them up at 5:30 that evening. After he hung up the phone, Cas peeked in the room to see if Dean was still sleeping. Obviously, he was; it may have been his birthday, but it was also a Saturday. Dean wouldn’t be up until at least 10:00.

The next thing on Cas’ list was to do some shopping. He knew it was risky, but he decided to take Dean’s car to buy all that he needed. His first stop was the department store. He didn’t need to buy anything for Dean since he had the suit Cas had gotten him for Christmas, but Cas did need to buy a new suit for himself. He got a jacket, pants, and shoes all in black, a white shirt, and a blue tie the same colour as the one he always wore. The girl at the checkout counter gave him a sweet smile as she asked him what the occasion was.

“I’m taking my boyfriend out for his birthday,” Castiel replied with a grin, unable to hide his excitement.

The girl, Rachel, judging by her nametag, raised her eyebrows as her eyes brightened, “Is this a soul mate we’re talking about?”

Castiel instantly grabbed his necklace, feeling how it was noticeably colder than he was used to – he’s never been this far from Dean since before he left the hospital. The girl smiled happily as she put Cas’ clothes in a bag. “I’m going to take that as a yes.”

Cas smiled back as he took the bag, “Thanks Rachel.”

She waved him goodbye saying, “You’re welcome sir, have a great time with your boyfriend.”

Castiel got back to the car, put his bag in the back seat and checked his phone. There had been no missed calls or messages from Dean so that meant he was still asleep, giving Cas enough time to make the last of the calls he needed to.

By the time he was done, Cas checked the time and realized it was after 10:00, meaning that Dean would be awake any minute now. He drove back to the campus as fast as he could (not as fast as Dean would) and went quietly back into their room. Dean was still fast asleep, lying on his tummy, snoring softly. Although Castiel knew he could just let Dean sleep, he wanted to give him something nice to wake up to. He went into the bathroom and messed up his hair, knowing that Dean liked it best this way. He took Dean’s Led Zeppelin shirt and out it on along with his pyjama pants, trying to give the impression that he hadn’t been awake for very long.

Once he was acceptable looking, Cas went to Dean’s bed and crawled under the covers beside him, pulling his arm over his back and cuddling up close so that it was ensured Dean would feel the heat of his necklace. When Deans till didn’t wake up, Cas moved and planted a light kiss on his neck, moving down his shoulder. He went under the blankets and continued down his side to his lower back. When he got down to the bottom of Dean’s waist he heard a low mumble saying, “Well this is a nice surprise; it must be my birthday.”

Cas moved back up as Dean rolled over onto his back, putting his arm around Cast to pull him into a tight embrace.

“Actually, yes, it is,” Castiel replied as he snuggled into the crook of Dean’s neck. “And just so you know, I made plans for us tonight.”

Dean sat up a bit, turning to look at Castiel, “What kind of plans?”

Castiel stared back at him. He could never get over just how beautiful his soul mate was. His bright green eyes, the freckles that littered his nose and cheeks, his light pink lips; these were all things Castiel loved about Dean – but certainly not what he loved most. After realizing that Dean had asked him a question, Cas finally answered, “It’s a surprise, Dean. Telling you now would just ruin the affect.”

Dean smiled, “Okay there Mr. Surprise Police, I won’t ask again.”

Cas smiled back at Dean, said, “Good choice,” and kissed him on the nose before unwrapping himself and getting out of bed.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” Dean asked as Castiel walked to the bathroom.

Cas turned, “Uh, going to take a shower?”

“Uh,” Dean said, “no you’re not.”

Cas squinted his eyes and tilted his head.

“What you’re doing,” Dean continued, “Is coming back to bed to keep your boyfriend company.” When Cas only smiled Dean added, “It is my birthday after all,” with a huge grin on his face.

Being unable to argue with that, Cas grinned and when back to Dean’s bed. Instead of climbing in next to him, Castiel pulled back the blankets and got on top of Dean, straddling his waist. He leaned in close and kissed Dean’s neck below his ear. He kissed the bottom of his ear then whispered, “Happy birthday, Dean,” and moved to kiss him on the mouth. It was slow and passionate, their mouths fitting together perfectly and moving completely in sync in a way that only comes with practice and the knowledge that you and the other person are destined to be together forever. They remained slow, enjoying the taste of each other. When Cas felt Dean’s tongue lightly outline his lips, he instinctively opened his mouth to allow Dean in. When he felt the other man’s tongue trickle his, he began feeling a burning in the pit of his stomach.

As the passion increased, Dean placed his hands on the lower on Cas’ back, and pulled, forcing their pelvis’s to grind together, making both of them hard. Slowly, Castiel started kissing the side of Dean’s mouth, then moved down his jaw. He continued to kiss lightly until he got to Dean’s neck, where he began suckling and biting, causing a moan to slip past Dean’s lips. When Cas emerged, he left behind a light purple mark. Laughing slightly, Cas licked it and said to Dean softly, “That might be a little hard to cover up tonight.”

Dean rolled over so that he was on top of Cas, laughing, and whispered in his ear, “Who said I want to hide it.”

Castiel laughed and pushed Dean up into a sitting position where he proceeded to grab Dean’s shirt and pull it off over his head. He admired Dean’s body for a moment, placing his hands on his sculpted abs while looking lovingly into Dean’s eyes.

He didn’t have a chance to admire him for long, though, because that’s when he felt Dean’s hands pulling his shirt over his head, shortly following by Dean’s erection grinding against his thigh. When they laid back down Dean started kissing Cas’ neck mumbling, “You’re so hot, Cas, I’m so lucky to have you.” Suddenly, he felt hands on the waist of his pyjama pants slowly pulling them down. Cas was still hard and honestly ready to take things farther with Dean, (he had been nearly the moment he got his memory back) but doing so would conflict with his plans for tonight. So regardless of how badly he wanted Dean right now, he still grabbed his hands before they managed to completely remove his pants and held them tightly within his.

Dean groaned and rolled over so that he was beside Cas, “Still not ready then?”

“I’m sorry, Dean,” Cas replied, shaking his head. “It’s just–“

“Hey,” Dean interrupted, “no need to explain yourself. Like I said, I can wait.” Dean kissed his forehead then added, “But this whole cock block thing is really taking a toll on me, just so you know.”

Cas laughed and kissed Dean’s lips, “I know, and I promise I’ll make it up to you.” He got up to go take a shower, thinking of all the ways he was going to make it up to him.

* * *

At 5:15, Cas asked Dean to borrow his car, which he agreed to, albeit reluctantly. Cas still wouldn’t tell him what he had planned for the evening. All he knew was that he didn’t get to drive his own car and he had to wear the stupid monkey suit that Cas had given him for Christmas. So far he didn’t think it was going to be a great evening, but Dean knew that Cas was excited, and if Cas was happy then Dean was happy.

By 5:40 Dean was fully dressed, unable to completely hide the hickey Cas had left earlier and sitting on his bed waiting for him to get back. When he heard a knock on the door, he crossed the room, opened the door, and was surprised to see Castiel standing before him, suit on and a dozen roses in hand.

“Hello, Dean,” he said, his small smile turning into a full out grin, “I’m glad to see the suit fits you well.”

Dean was speechless.

He looked Castiel up and down. The suit fit him perfectly, accenting all the curves of his muscles. He was wearing a blue tie, not the one he usually wore but the same colour, making his eyes pop. His hair was perfectly messy in the post-sex way that made Dean’s stomach tie in knots.

He closed his mouth the moment he realized it was open.

Castiel laughed at Dean’s stunned silence, “Are you going to just stand there looking pretty or are you going to come with me?” he asked as he held out his hand.

Dean, still shocked silent, grabbed the flowers out of Cas’ hand, tossed them somewhere behind him (he didn’t see where they landed) and pulled Castiel into a forceful but gentle kiss. When he finally pulled way, he grabbed onto Cas’ hand and turned around to see where the flowers had gone. He saw them on the floor nearby and said to Cas, “Maybe we should put those in water first; I don’t want them to dry out.”

After unsuccessfully searching for a vase, Cas and Dean settled on storing the roses in multiple water bottles until they bought something more suitable.

In no time they were in the impala driving down the road, Dean riding shotgun, not much to his liking, on their way to their first destination. Even though Dean asked multiple times where they were going, Cas always replied with the same answer, “It’s a surprise, Dean.”

Finally, they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant where they were eating and Dean was, once again, speechless.

It was the same restaurant where they had eaten the night of their big date – the night of the crash.

“Cas...” Dean said when he was finally able to speak.

Before Dean could say anything else Cas interjected, “Sam told me about this place. He said it was really nice so I thought maybe it’d be a good idea.”

He was smiling, but Dean though he could hear something in Cas’ voice that didn’t seem right.

 _I guess Sam is the one who recommended this place to me in the first place..._ Dean thought to himself. He decided there was nothing to worry about so he smiled at Cas and said, “Thanks man, this is more than I could have asked for.”

Castiel smiled back, took Dean’s hand and said, “Hey, they nights only starting.”

When they got to their table Dean didn’t even bother opening his menu, he just announced to Castiel, “I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll be getting the bacon cheese burger.”

Castiel smirked as he scanned though the menu. After only a few seconds he closed it and said, “I think I’ll do the same.”

They small talked for the rest of dinner, telling jokes and stories about when they were younger. Cas talked the most, telling many stories about Gabriel and his younger sister Anna, who is now seventeen. Dean asked why he hasn’t met Anna or his parents yet, especially since Cas was in a coma for a while.

“My family is really religious. They told me they had faith that I would wake up, and they thought seeing me like that would be too hard on them. They prayed for me every night. I’m sure you can imagine how relieved they were when I called them.”

Dean nodded and asked, “Are they okay with your soul mate being a guy?”

“They were a little bit confused at first,” Cas answered, “But at the end of the day they told me they would love me no matter what. They’re really excited to meet you actually, Anna especially.”

Dean smiled and said, “Well I can’t wait to meet them too, they sound great.”

Castiel smiled back and reached across the table to take Dean’s hands, “But be warned, Anna will probably tell you that I never shut up about you, which is complete bullshit.”

Dean threw his head back in a peel of laughter. He was beginning to think he couldn’t love Cas anymore.

From across the table Cas checked his watch the quickly pulled his hands away from Dean’s to pull out his wallet, “Oh crap, we need to go.”

Dean grabbed his jacket as he stood up with Cas and walked beside him, “Where are we going?” he asked as he grabbed Cas’ hand.

Castiel didn’t reply until after they got back to the car, holding the door open for Dean to get in. When he shut his own door he reached into the backseat and pulled something out that Dean couldn’t see.

“That,” Cas said, revealing a blindfold, “is a very good question.”

Dean looked from the blindfold to Castiel’s smiling face and back again, finally saying, “You’re kidding right?”

Cas shook his head as he made a circular motion with his finger, gesturing for Dean to turn around.

Deciding it was best not to argue, Dean turned in his seat so that Cas could tie the blindfold around his eyes. When he felt Cas pull his hands away he straightened himself in his seat and, seeing nothing but black, said, “I hope this isn’t some kinky shit because if it is then I’m not sure how much I like it.”

Cas laughed as he started the car. Dean sat in the darkness, unsure of how much time elapsed before they finally stopped. He was about to take off the blindfold when he felt hands on his stopping him.

“Not yet,” Cas said. Dean hear the driver’s door open then close, then heard his own door open and felt Cas take his hand, helping him out of the impala. They walked a few feel and stopped. Dean felt Cas move behind him and grab the blindfold. “Okay,” Cas whispered in Dean’s ear, “close your eyes.”

“I can’t see anything anyway, Cas!”

“Just do it, Dean.”

Dean closed his eyes and felt the blind fold come off. Cas moved beside him and took his hand.

“Alright,” Cas said excitedly, “open your eyes.”

When he opened his eyes he was, for the third time that evening, absolutely speechless.

In front of his feel was the pong along with the same rowboat he and Cas had used the night of the crash.

Dean looked from the boat to Castiel, unable to form coherent words. All he wanted to do was say what he was thinking; _Do you remember?_

He had to. Dean told Sam about the restaurant, but he stopped there, wanting to keep the details of this part of the story to himself. He didn’t tell anyone; the only other person who knew was Cas, and he couldn’t remember it.

_Unless he does._

Finally Dean managed to speak saying, “Cas...”

But Castiel interrupted him, “Come on, let’s get on.”

They crawled carefully onto the boat and Castiel rowed them into the middle of the pond. When he put the oars down he looked at Dean – who shut his mouth quickly upon realizing it was open again – and said, “I’m sure you’re curious as to what’s going on right now.”

Under his breath Dean managed to say, “That’s an understatement,” which caused Cas to let out a nervous chuckle.

“Yeah, you’re right about that,” Cas said with a small smile. But I promise I’ll explain everything that needs to be explained after this.”

“After wha-“ Dean began, but was interrupted by a pop and crackle, and looked up into the sky to see fireworks.

 _Holy shit,_ Dean thought as he looked at Castiel, who was watching the fireworks. He knew for a fact now that Cas had his memory back because that was the only thing that could explain this.

Cas looked from the sky to Dean and smiled when he saw he was already looking. He grabbed Dean’s hand and said, “I hope this explains what it needs to.”

Dean leaned in and kissed Cast, not fast enough to tip the boat, but still enough to make it slightly rocky. When he pulled away he looked into Castiel’s blue eyes and said, “This explains more than words ever could.”

And they kissed again. They sat in the boat kissing for a long time, long after the fireworks ended. It was the kind of kiss where everything felt right. It never got too hot and heavy, but it still had more passion than you could ever imagine. The kind of passion you could only get from two people who loved each other more than any other person in the world.

“I love you, Castiel,” Dean said, unable to hold it back any longer. “I love you so much. I loved you the second I met you. I loved you when I brought you to that diner. I loved you when we got into that horrible car accident. I loved you when you didn’t even know who I was. I loved you then and I love you now and I’ll love you forever.”

Cas looked at Dean for a long time, a playful smile on his lips. Finally he spoke.

“I know.”

Dean looked Cas dead in the eyes and replied to him in the most serious voice he could muster, “Dude, did you just Han Solo me?”

Cas laughed and kissed Dean again. He pulled away and whispered in his ear, “How about we head back now?” then kissed the mark on Dean’s neck.

They rowed back to shore and got in the car, Dean driving this time. They drove with the cassette tape Dean made Cas for Christmas playing, holding hands the whole way home, thinking that life couldn't get any better than this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to add that January 24, 2009 was literally a saturday and i am so very thankful that it is because i wanted to keep this as accurate as possible and i managed to have his birthday on the proper day so yeah I am very happy not gonna lie.  
> I really loved writing this chapter and I just found it so cute and it made me really happy!! I will be posting the next chapter sometime after the 20th I hope. It may be a bit later because i know that the next chapter is gonna be a bit harder to right!  
> but yeah just comment your thoughts!


	12. Authors Notes

Hi everyone! So I know its been a long time since I last updated, and I'm sorry about that! I had planned on writing two more chapters for this but I just couldn't get figure out how to put my thoughts into words. I feel awful for leaving you all hanging for so long and then having an abrupt ending, but I think that I'm happy with the way it ended, I hope to write more in the future, so since I really liked this work you should all be on the look out for an epilogue to this story! Thank you for all the kudos, comments, and love. Im happy to have been able to interact with you all and I send love to everyone!

Thank you for being there with me the whole way

Natalie (assbutt_sherlocked_in_the_tardis)

**Author's Note:**

> Only I have proof read this so if theres a mistake please just comment below and I'll fix it! Input would be nice about how you like it as well :)


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